InuYasha: A New Foe! Part One
by fanofcieling
Summary: Inuyasha and the others encounter a mysterious and powerful fiend!


"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, where are you?" Kagome frantically pedaled her bike, plowing down the dirt path as fast as she could. Just moments before, she had been able to see Inuyasha, leaping from tree to tree in the nearby forest. Now he had vanished, almost instantly. One second, he had jumped off a branch, into her view, and then fallen back into the tree line. This time, however, he hadn't resurfaced. And the Shikon No Tama shard's presence had intensified with his disappearance.

It had all begun earlier that morning, when Kagome had sensed the shard's presence, faintly at first, but it gradually intensified the further north she and Inuyasha traveled. They had left Miroku and Sango behind at the village to find somewhere to stay and purchase supplies. Shippo had volunteered to join Kagome and Inuyasha on their hunt, and now lay curled up, asleep, in the bike's basket. Kagome pedaled harder, the fear in her heart growing almost as fast as she could detect the shard approaching.

Why is the shard coming this way, and so fast? She wondered, when suddenly there was a commotion in the branches of the trees. Kagome hit the brakes, the bike coming to a halt, and this new feeling washing over her, sickening her. Shippo, a demon, had felt it, too, probably before Kagome had, because he was leaning over the basket, ears perked up, eyes scanning the forest, little nose frantically searching for a scent.

"Kagome, I smell something, something evil!" The baby fox demon shuddered, concern in his large green eyes. Just as he finished stating his concern, there was a crash in the branches, and a flash of red flew past the two, quickly followed by a streak of black. Kagome turned just in time to see Inuyasha slam into the ground, Tetsusaiga, the blade small and frail-looking, flying from his hand and lodging itself into the ground a few yards away.

"Inuyasha!" She yelled, leaping off her bike, Shippo falling from the basket, bouncing once, then rolling down the hill, hollering all the way. Kagome grabbed her quiver and bow, yelled a quick apology to the fox demon, who responded with a few grunts as he came to rest in a shallow ravine, and made across the small field to Inuyasha's crumpled form.

What was that flash of black? Kagome wondered, as she approached Inuyasha, who was now rising to his feet.

"Inuyasha-"She was cut off as Inuyasha sliced his hand through the air, signaling her to be still. She stopped, real fear suddenly flowing through her body.

"Kagome! Get out of here, run away!" Inuyasha yelled through gritted teeth as he scanned the field for his opponent. Kagome notched an arrow, trying to see what he was looking for,"Kagome, this bastard has a shard, get out of here!"

Inuyasha clenched his hands, claws ready, and Kagome could see that there was blood running down his arm, dripping from his claws, "Come out, you coward! Show yourself, or are you scared? I wanna rip you to pieces!"

Kagome stepped forward, reaching out with her inherited priestess abilities, trying to place the shard's presence. It seemed to be coming from the small patch of trees just beyond Inuyasha. She aimed, pulled back the arrow, and released, the arrow tearing through the air, it's holy light shining brilliantly as it punched a hole through the tree line. The moment she let her arrow fly, she felt the shard move, and could now see a figure, moving too fast for her to discern any features, dashing over the packed ground, leaving a trail of dead grass, torn asunder in it's wake. It was headed straight at her!

Inuyasha leaped into action, moving to intercept the figure, pulling the Tetsusaiga from the ground, the magic blade erupting in a blue flame and becoming what it truly was: a massive blade, forged from the fangs of Inuyasha's youkai father, Inutaisho, and one of Inuyasha's.

He swung, and the figure leaped into the air, finally coming to a stop a few yards from Inuyasha.

It was a man, or so it appeared to be, seemingly about twenty years of age. Kagome knew right away it was a demon, for she could sense his demonic aura, a powerful sensation, emanating from his body, sending a shot of fear as cold as his eyes down her spine. He stood about six feet tall, and was clad in a black kimono, somewhat similar to Inuyasha's Robes of the Fire Rat. Around his neck was a necklace made of small assorted demon skulls. His hair was long and brown, two strands tied, with ceremonial beads, resting across his breasts. His cutting green eyes glared at Kagome, seemingly staring into her very soul. The man raised his weapon, a long, slender sword, easily twice his length, and leveled it at Inuyasha. The blade was a chill black, and riddled with brilliantly blue glowing arcane markings.

"If it is a fight you want, boy," He said, his voice chill as the northern winds, "it is a fight you have found."

"Who the hell are you calling "boy"?" Inuyasha snapped, leveling the Tetsusaiga at his foe.

"Come now, Inuyasha, is it? It is impolite to fight an opponent you have not even learned the name of. Can we not be civilized?"

"Go to hell!" Inuyasha charged, Tetsusaiga at ready, and swung the mighty blade crosswise at his opponent. The demon easily pivoted, parried the blade, and brought his knee up to slam into Inuyasha's stomach as he flew past, once again sending him sprawling over the plains, coming to rest on his back, Tetsusaiga gripped in his right hand.

"Calm down, boy, and be polite. You have no manners, and it really is frustrating..." The man laughed, now mocking Inuyasha.

"You know, I'm really getting sick of hearing your voice!" Inuyasha rose again, Tetsusaiga resting on the floor beside him. The demon laughed, as Inuyasha once again charged, Tetsusaiga dragging behind him, tearing the ground to shreds as he ran towards the man.

"Inuyasha! NO! You can't beat him like that, you're hurt!" Kagome yelled.

"Stay out of this, Kagome, I can beat this guy!" Inuyasha yelled, and this time the man parried, throwing Tetsusaiga into the air, slammed his knee into Inuyasha's stomach, and, as Inuyasha went flying, he dashed forward, caught him midair, and slammed his fist into Inuyasha's chest, driving him into the ground. Inuyasha came to rest at the end of a massive trail of sundered dirt, rocks, and grass.

Almost instantly, the dark man was upon Kagome, sword sheathed.She raised her bow, notching another arrow, and he slapped it aside, the bow cracking from the force, pieces scattered across the ground. He grabbed her throat, lifting Kagome off the ground, and held her to his face, an evil grin cutting across it.

"Girl, I believe you have something that belongs to me." He sneered, malice dripping from his words. His claws severed the string around her neck, and the bottle of Shikon shards fell into his outstretched hand. Just then, Shippo charged at him, little paws conjuring his blue foxfire magic.

"Leave Kagome alone, you big bully!" He yelled. In one swift motion, the man slid the shards into his kimono, threw Kagome aside, and spun, kicking Shippo away, sending the small demon sliding over the rough ground. Kagome landed, rolling over in the grass, and came to rest, unconscious. Inuyasha rose again, and was now running full speed at this new foe.

"You bastard, how dare you touch Kagome!" Inuyasha brought the Tetsusaiga down, striking with all his might, the blade tearing through the air. The man turned, slapped Tetsusaiga aside with his hand, a faint glow within revealing the location of his shard, and punched Inuyasha with the same hand. Inuyasha came to a dead stop, and the dark man grabbed his throat, lifting him into the air.

"Now, boy, you listen to me. I have what I came for, and see no need to slay you and your pathetic friends, but you are making it so tempting to simply kill you all here." He cast Inuyasha into a nearby tree, the trunk shattering from the impact, small slivers of needle sharp wood punching into Inuyasha's flesh. The young dog demon came to rest at the base of the tree, barely conscious, "Now, if you don't mind, I have some business to attend to. I will now take my leave of you. Oh, and as far as introductions, you may call me Hatofurujan."

Hatofurujan, Inuyasha thought, as consciousness left him, I will defeat you!

Hey, it's Kagome again! We ran into a fierce and mighty demon named Hatofurujan, and he defeated Inuyasha in combat. Plus, he stole the Shikon No Tama shards I was wearing! What a vile thing to do! Inuyasha seems pretty mad he was defeated, and, boy!, did I get a mouthful for losing the Shikon shards. Now, he's set on finding Hatofurujan and settling the score! See you next time, in A New Foe, Part Two!


End file.
